Protective caps for rear fender/bedsides?

Hi all, I've recently noticed that my rear bedside is started to chip paint which will most definitely turn to rust at some point. This leads me to look for alternatives to protect the paint and fender itself.

I noticed that on 3rd Tacoma's there is a plastic moulding that definitely helps protect the rear underside of the bedside, and was wondering if there is maybe something available for the 2nd Gen?

I'm mainly talking about the part cirlced in red below.

thanks!

 

Wrap it in clear Vinyl

 

That's definitely a good idea. I also wondered about a potential cap because I do have one side where the paint is chipping away, therefore a cap or trim moulding would completely cover and hide it.

 

Do you have mudflaps? I don't have your chip problem

 

This. Every time someone here posts about damage to that section of the bed, it's because they aren't using mud flaps.

 

Yes I do have mudflaps. Its only happening on one side near the rear bumper (picture of my rear fender below).

 

Hmmm... maybe it’s just your paint becoming brittle. That’s a really odd spot to get hit by rocks

 

Yea, that’s not rocks chipping away at your paint. That’s Canada rusting away at your body

Quite odd where the rust is starting bcuz that most likely didn’t start from a rock chip

 

Agreed.

I'm not disagreeing with that. Definitely one of the perks to living in Canada lol. I just wanted to know if anyone had ever seen an accessory or plastic moulding for sale that would cover and protect that area . That way I could sand it down, protect it and cover it with a moulding.

 

You will need to do a more in-depth inspection to that rear bed panel and fix that rust before installing any protective cover on it. That rust will only get worse if untreated.

 

Agreed. I just figured if I could grind it all down, treat it and cover it with a plastic moulding (if available), that would save me money over having professional body work done.

 

I would suggest looking at it from the inside. That rust was not started by rock chips. Make sure salt and debris did not get stuck on the inside of that corner, and rotting from the inside out.

 

Since that is a "corner", the paint on that particular edge is going to be much thinner than on a "flat" part of the panel. This will also contribute to it being at risk for chips just in the course of ownership.

If you get it all fixed, then you can actually put 3M protective film over that edge and cut it to look like a factory job. The film goes on like sticky tape, but is clear so you can't tell there's anything there.

$19 3M Scotchgard Clear Paint Protection Bulk Film Roll 6-by-48"es

https://www.amazon.com/Scotchgard-C...sr_1_9?keywords=3m+film&qid=1570027227&sr=8-9

 

My 2015 has a “crack” in the paint right there 1 cm long. Blue Ribbon. I touched it up.

It was in no way a chip. It is just a shitty Toyota quirk.